


Race of My Life

by twilightfanjm



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-24 16:57:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21341611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilightfanjm/pseuds/twilightfanjm
Summary: Jacob took Nessie to safety when a battle broke out during the Volturi confrontation. While on the run Jacob accidentally loses Nessie. After being found by humans she was raised in the foster care system. She grew up as a human in the foster care sytem for 13 years. She hasn't seen a vampire for 13 years. Now all that is going to change and new threats will emerge. Will she live?
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Renesmee Cullen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter 1: The Race

Nessie's POV

There was nothing but fifteen hundred pounds of pure power beneath me. Each time his hooves hit the dirt beneath us was one step closer to victory. Or so I hoped anyway. Red Wolf a force to be recokned with on the track. He was a three year old colt with an impressive record. This was his tenth race. Out of nine races he'd already won eight of them. He'd come in second in only race. I had ridden him in every single race. If we kept this up we would have a chance at racing in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont this coming Summer. If we won all three races we'd sweep the triple crown. A feat only 13 other horses in history had ever achieved.

It seemed like everything in my life was leading up to this moment. I felt a huge pang of sadness when I thought of my biological parents. Edward and Bella. I hadn't seen them or grandpa Carlisle, grandma Esme, aunts Alice and Rosalie, or uncles Emmett and Jasper in 13 years.

On the day the Volturi came to visit a battle broke out and Jacob escaped with me. That was the plan my mother had made to get me to safety in case a battle broke out. Jacob would take care of me if she and my father were unable to. It was her plan B. But her plan B failed.

Jacob ran at full speed in wolf form for hours. Even though I was half vampire I was getting tired of holding onto his fur as tightly as I could manage. When I did lose my grip and fall Jacob kept running. He didn't even notice that I'd fallen off of him. I was too shocked to scream for him to come back for me. By the time I came out of my shock it was too late. He was already long gone.

I didn't know where I was or how long I was alone before humans discovered me. I still had all the fake documents my mother had made for me as well as the money. Which completely confused the humans. They tried to locate my family but nothing. So they put me in foster care. I was called Vanessa now since my fake paper work said that was my name.

I quickly discovered that the more time I spent around humans the more human I became. It was like my body was adapting to a human lifestyle. Overtime I lost the urge and desire to drink blood. I lost my extra powerful senses of smell, hearing, and eyesight. I lost my speed and strength. My growth rate slowed down to that of a normal human.

At first I hated being in foster care. Mainly because they weren't my family. There were always other foster kids but I didn't really interact much with them. Then I discovered horse and horseback riding. I was in awe of the entire concept of riding horses. I was never happier than when I was at my riding lessons.

When I discovered horseracing I became enamored and maybe a little obsessed with the idea of becoming a jockey. It was all that I wanted to do. I vowed that I would make my dream come true one way or another.

Whether it was fate or just pure luck I was forced to change foster homes when I was physically 11 years old. My new foster family lived in Lexington, Kentucky. My foster parents both trained racehorses for a living. That was my ticket into the racing industry. I entered the jockey program as soon as I was old enough. Before I knew it I had a jockey license. I was only 17 years old now, well technically 13, and here I was riding in important races.

The first time I raced was one of the happiest days of my life. I've rode several different horses but Red Wolf here was my favorite. I met him the day he was born. Or foaled as they call it for horses. My foster parents took me as soon as they'd gotten worn from his owners that he had arrived. I blurted out "Red Wolf" as soon as I saw him because his red coat reminded me of Jacob's wolf form. The name stuck and that became his official registered name. Mainly we just call him Wolf for short.

It was very cloudy today. The weatherman had promised rain in the forecast. Thankfully it wasn't raining right now. Being on the back of a horse traveling over thirty miles per hour in the mud wasn't as fun. Not that it ever bothered Wolf here.

We passed the halfway mark and I knew that it was time for us to make our move. Out of fifteen horses we were in last place. Back to front was Wolf's preferred style of running though. When I showed him the whip he knew what I was asking for and he gave it to me. Immediately he picked up the pace. I never actually used the whip on a horse. I was always told that if you whip a horse it will do what you want but it will fear you rather than trust you.

I could hear the announcer saying something over the intercom about Wolf but I was not paying attention. My focus was solely on getting him to the front. It wasn't long before there was only one horse in front of me. It wasn't long before I was in front of him.

We were racing down the final stretch when I noticed someone strange in stands. It was a young girl about 12 or 13 years old. She wore a black coat with a V shaped necklace. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a frightening red color. It was a vampire. I was in pure shock for I had not seen one in 13 years.

The smile she gave me sent shivers down my spine. Then she turned her eyes toward Wolf. Suddenly Wolf started going crazy. He suddenly reared up and started neighing like crazy. He threw me off before collapsing onto the floor. One look into his crazed eyes told me he was in extreme, unfathomable pain. His legs flayed like crazy.

I barely had time to register my own pain before I was trampled by another horse. I had been so preoccupied with Wolf that I hadn't even noticed I'd been thrown into the path of another horse. The other jockey had no time to avoid me.

There were my black spots in my vision and I remembered no more.


	2. Pain

Chapter 2: Pain

Nessie's POV

I was dead. I was certain of the fact that I was dead. That's why there was blackness all around me. Then something else registered in my brain. A beeping sound. Then soon after there was the pain. I could feel the pain everywhere in the upper part if my body. My face, my arms, chest, everything. It all hurt so much. Below the waist I couldn't feel anything though. There was no pain. Just nothing.

I opened my eyes and was immediately blinded so I shut them again. No I wasn't dead. If I was dead I wouldn't be in any kind of pain. The beeping sound was a machine. I must've been in a hospital. I opened my eyes again but more slowly this time. My suspicion was confirmed when I saw all the machines and the IV.

My memories of my last few seconds of conciousness cams flooding back to me. I remembered the creepy vampire girl I'd seen in the stands. She had stood out among all the other fans. I remembered the way that she looked at me than at Wolf. Then something happened to Wolf and I was thrown off and trampled by another horse.

From what I could see my body was covered in nasty cuts, bruises, and casts. I didn't need a doctor to know that I'd been badly injured. The pain was everywhere. Well my upper body anyway. I couldn't feel anything in my lower body. Then it suddenly hit me that something was very wrong. I tried to move my legs but they wouldn't respond to my command. I tried moving just my feet and my toes but nothing.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream. My heart was racing and I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. A doctor came running in. He didn't say anything to me as he put something in my IV.

"It'll be okay Vanessa. Don't worry. You had an accident while racing and-"

"What happened to me!"

"You broke a leg, an arm, several bones, a few ribs, and..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"and what?!" I screamed.

"Your spine was completely severed. Unfortunately this means that you're paralyzed from the waist down,"

I suddenly felt as if I was going to pass out.

"No! You're wrong! You're wrong!" I started screaming.

"Vanessa I'm sorry,"

"You're wrong," I started crying. I couldn't be paralyzed. Then all of my hopes, plans, and dreams would never come true. I would never be able to ride again let alone win the triple crown or Breeder's Cup Classic or any other race. I would never walk again or-

"There has to be something I can do. A surgery I can have,"

"Surgery would be very risky for your kind of injury. We discussed it as an option but your family is very adamantly against it,"

"But I want the surgery. I don't care about the risks. I can pay for it,"

"But your family says-"

"They're not even my family they're my foster family!" I shouted in anger.

"But legally they are your guardians are they not? Until you turn 18 they make all the decisions regarding your care and they have told us no. I'm sorrym once you're 18 we can reopen that discussion but until then I'm sorry,"

I had never felt so angry or frustrated before. I was paralyzed and this doctor was telling me there was a possible solution but my so-called 'family' didn't even bother to hear what I, the victim, wanted before saying no. I couldn't do anything about it until I turned 18 years old. Which was eleven months away. This wasn't fair or right. I should have some say in my own health care.

I was angry but I couldn't think of anything else to say. It wasn't this man's fault. His hands were tied. I wanted to cry so badly though. In one second all of my dreams had been brutally ripped away for me. Horses, racing, it was the only thing that brought me real happiness. If I didn't have that then what did I have?

"How long have I been here?"

"A week and a half. We had you in a medically induced coma to help with the pain,"

I sighed. "Can you leave me alone doctor?"

"Sure kid. If you need anything just press this button here," he showed me a button next to my bed. "A nurse will come to help you. Your parents are downstairs as well. I will let them know that you're awake,"

"I don't want to see them,"

I started crying as soon as the doctor left. My grief and anger just took control. My whole life had been marked for disaster from the very beginning. Losing my family, Jacob, and now all of my dreams. What made me so angry was knowing there was a possible solution but being denied that because I wasn't old enough to make decisions about my own body.

I missed my real family so much. Especially right now when I needed them most. I missed my mother's and father's loving embrace. I missed the pure love I used to get from my family. The pain of losing them never lessened over the years. Right now I missed them more than usual.

What hurt more was not even knowing if they were still alive. They were going into battle last time I saw them so I never knew the outcome. All this uncertainty was killing me so a few weeks ago I decided to do something drastic. Something completely insane. I hired a private investigator without telling my foster parents. They were always against the idea of their foster kids, three in total, looking for our families. "If they didn't want you before why would they want you now?" was their motto. My foster brother Chris didn't care. My foster sister Elizabeth was only two years old. To young to have an opinion for herself on the matter.

So I knew that my only chance of locating my family was to be sneaky about what I was doing. Not only did I have a lot of money saved up thanks to my career as a jockey but I also still had the money that my mother gave me when she handed me over to Jscob so many years ago. So I hired the best private investigator that I could find.

Two days before my accident I met with Matthew Johnson and gave him all the information that I could. I even gave him my real name Renesmee Cullen. The only thing I changed was my parentage. I told them that Carlisle and Esme were my real parents. It would make more sense then trying to explain how to people, who are physically teenagers, were my real parents. I knew the chances of actually finding them were very slim. Even if they were still alive my family was probably very good at hiding their tracks to avoid exposure.

It was all the hope I had now though. It was the only thing I could hold onto since I didn't have racing anymore. I looked down at my now useless legs and started crying again. I looked up when I heard the door open again.

I froze when I saw a man pale as snow, eyes red as blood staring at me. The hooded cloak sent shivers down the part of my spine I could still feel.


	3. Threats

Chapter 3: Threats

Nessie's POV

I hadn't felt this much fear since I first came face to face with the Volturi so many years ago. My heart was beating fast. My senses were hyper aware of everything that was going on. My life could be over in a second if he decided to kill me.

"My my. Young Renesmee. How you have grown,"

I didn't know it was possible but somehow my heart started beating even faster. When he approached me my upper body started trembling in nervousness. The man just smiled. There was nothing I could do when he decided to grab my hand. I wanted to rip my hand away from him but that would probably just result in me losing my hand altogether.

"Perhaps you're too young to Remember me Renesmee. But I remember you. I made a vow to the Cullens that I would find you if it was the last thing I did. Here I am finally able to fulfill my promise. It's been 13 years. So imagine my surprise when one of my informants told me that he had found you,"

"Please don't hurt me," I begged. "I'm not a threat anymore. Just look at me,"

"Oh but you are. You may be all human now but you still have knowledge of our kind. You're a human living amongst humans. Yet you also have knowledge of our kind. That maked you a threat. A liability that I can't live with,"

"But I haven't talked in 13 years. Why would I talk now?" I was trying to not sound scared but I was failing miserably. I could hear my own voice cracking in fear.

"You may not have spoken yet but you still can. You're still a liability,"

"Please," I couldn't believe that I was begging but it was all that I could do in the vain hope he would decide on leniency and not kill me.

"Oh I won't kill you yet. But I will soon. Unexpectedly. It'll be more fun to torture you first," and just like that he vanished. My body was still shaking and my heartbeat was going so fast that I was surprised it hadn't alerted the nurses.

I took a few deep breaths but thst did nothing to calm me. I was sweating bullets now. I hadn't feared for my life like this since I was little. I'd lived in peace for 13 years and now I'm back to fearing for my life again. Only this time I didn't have a family to protect me. I didn't even have my own half vampire powers to help me.

When I went to sleep that night I was scared that I wouldn't wake up in the morning. Terrified that Aro would come back and kill me in my sleep. Which actually would have been better the more I thought about it. Nobody stayed with me at night either. Sure a human wouldn't have been able to protect me but I would've appreciated having even a false sense of security.

The onlu reprieve I was getting from my worry was all the drugs the doctors were pumping into my body to keep me from feeling a lot of pain. I felt like I was in a dream like state half the time. I wasn't sure when the doctors were going to release me but it didn't seem like it was going to be anytime soon.

I hated being there. I hated being paralyzed. I hated that I had to fear for my life again when I've done absolutely nothing wrong. It wasn't fair. I hated that my biological family wasn't able to be here with me when I needed them most.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. They did. About a week after waking up my boyfriend, Liam, came to visit. I was angry at him for taking so long to come visit me but I didn't realize it was about to get a whole lot worse.

"Hi Liam. How are you?"

"I'm sorry Vanessa,"

"Sorry. Sorry for what?"

"Not coming to visit you sooner but I wanted to wait until you were fully awake before telling you,"

"Telling me what?"

"Well I want to break up,:

"What? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he remarked rather harshly. "You're not good enough for me anymore because of your condition,"

"What-"

"Oh for Gosakes you're a beautiful girl but I only liked you for one thing. I have needs. Needs that you can't fulfill anymore,"

"You're dumping me because I can't have sex anymore?!"

"Hey I only liked you because your beautiful and having sex with you all the time was awesome but you can't do that anymore. So I'm dumping you for someone else. Someone who can give me what I want, no, what I need,"

I didn't know if I was more angry or hurt. I loved him. I thought he loved me to. We spent a lot of time together. I spent a lot of time at his house. I probably went over there three or four times during the week. Not including the weekend. Yes we had sex every single time but I never would've guessed that he was just using me. I loved him and I thought he loved me as well. We'd been together for two years already. I never imagined he would just dump me because I couldn't have sex anymore.

"Go," I said.

"Vanessa-"

"Just go!" I shouted.

"Jesus girls are so temperamental sometimes," I heard him mumble as he walked out.

I got out of the hospital a few days late . Returning home did nothing to improve my mood. I was still angry at my foster parents for refusing to give me the surgery. I argued with them so many times over it and they always refused because they thought it was "to risky,"

When I finally returned to school I couldn't stand the way people looked at me when they saw me in a wheelchair. I didn't want people to feel sorry for me. What I hated most about school though was seeing how fast Liam found himself a new girlfriend. I still couldn't believe what had happened. I thought we had something solid. I thought he would be there for me no matter what. I even imagined getting married and having kids with him one day. Over the weeks I found myself seeking deeper and deeper into a depression. I'd lost my ability to walk, my racing, my boyfriend, I'd lost everything. Then there was the fear that Aro would come back and kill me at any moment.

Then one night while I was doing homework I got a phone call. I didn't look at the caller before answering.

"Hello?"

"Renesmee it's me. Matthew,"

Oh crap I'd almost forgotten about the private investigator I hired!

"Hey kid are you there?"

"Oh yes. Sorry. I was just nevermind-"

"Well I have some news for you. It was a lot of work. You're family wasn't easy to trace since they've moved around a lot these last few years. Oregon, Chicago, Alaska, New York. But I found them,"

"What?" I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

"I tracked your father down all the way to the hospital he works at New York. I went today. Carlisle kept trying to blow me off at first since he was very busy. That was until I dropped your name. He invited me over to explain my story to the whole family,"

"Then what happened?"

"kid you should've seen the emotional reactions from everyone. Especially Edward and Bella,"

"So what happens now? Are you going to arrange a meeting between them and I?"

"They're already on a plane flying to Kentucky to see you,"

Words failed me and emotion overtook me.


	4. Blackmail

Chapter 4: Blackmail

Nessie's POV

I couldn't sleep that night. No matter how hard I tried sleep escaped me. I couldn't believe that I was about to see my family again after so many years. My mind wouldn't, no, it couldn't even begin to process the idea of seeing my family again. I never thought it would actually happen. I had always thought I'd never see them again as long as I lived. The private investigator had been a spur of the moment decision. My chances were slim. Very slim. Yet somehow it worked. He'd actually found them.

Eventually I gave up on the idea of sleep and switched on my TV instead. However not even Netflix could distract me from my thoughts and imagining what my reunion with my family would be like. As the hours passed it dawned on me that my family must have landed at the airport by now. The very idea made my heart skip a few beats.

It was around 7:30am when I heard noise in the next room. I carefully got out of bed and into the wheelchair. Over the past few weeks I learned how to move around more freely and do a lot of things by myself. It was bad enough that I was paralyzed. I didn't want to become solely dependent on others to help me out. I opened the door quietly and went to go investigate.

Chris had left the door slightly open. Enough for me to peek inside and see him swallow something. I was reminded of an incident that happened a week before my accident. I was home taking care of Elizabeth and doing laundry that day while everyone else was gone. I had gone into his room to leave his folded laundry on his bed when I spotted several pills and even a needle in his nightstand. I was mortified by what I'd seen.

"Vanessa what are you doing?" the anger in his voice caught me by surprise.

"Where are you going?" I asked him. "and so early I might add,"

"I'm going out for coffee,"

"Coffee?" I laughed. "You're going out for coffee? You hate coffee! You know if you're going to lie to me you could at least come up with something believable,"

"Fine I'm going to Starbucks but I'm not actually going to have coffee. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

"Can you take me with you?"

"What?" now he looked shocked. To be honest I was shocked to but I really need to get out. I was tired of being cooped up here. Only being able to go to school. Besides after last night's sleepless night I could use some coffee.

"No you're not coming with me,"

"Oh yes I am," I retorted.

"Why is that?" he sneered.

"Because if you don't then I will tell Jasmine that you are cheating on her with her own sister,"

"What how do you-"

"Oh please I've seen you sneaking Erica in here several times already. You're not exactly quiet,"

"You have no proof,"

"No proof? I have video proof on my phone and don't even bother trying to get into my phone either. I already have several copies of it,"

"So you're blackmailing me now?"

"You mean like how you blackmail me every time you want to 'borrow' money from me? Money that I never see again. What are you doing with my money anyway? Funding your drug addiction habits?"

"How did you-"

"I saw the pills and the needle. So what is it? Dope? Crak? Meth? All of the above? Something else?"

"Fine. You can come with me but don't say a word about this,"

I shook my head. Sometimes I wondered how my relationship with my foster brother grew to be so dysfunctional. I did care about him no matter how crazy he was. Ever since he found out that I cheat on math he blackmails me. I'm terrible at math so when I found out that this guy named Lewis not only does math homework for people but also sells answer keys to important math exams I became a regular customer of his. It was good until my brother caught me one time and took a picture of me paying Lewis and getting the answer key in return. Ever since then he's blackmailed me for money every time he needs it. Now I finally had something on him.

I had a feeling I knew what my brother was really up to but I didn't say anything. The sun was up and shining brightly when we left the house. I sighed knowing that this would only mean that it would be that much longer before I saw my family again. We didn't exactly have a meeting place. Or a plan on where to meet up. It was never discussed between Matthew and my family.

I sat a table separate from my brother. I sipped on my latte and ate my blueberry scone while my brother waited for his friends. When they came the exchange was quick. My brother slid them some money and they gave my brother some pills and a powdered substance. I pretended that I couldn't see what was going on.

My brother wasn't exactly the best person out there. His girlfriend, Jasmine, was one of my best friends. She was happily in love with my brother. I didn't have it in my heart to tell her that I caught him sleeping with her own sister nonetheless. Even though that secret was killing me inside.

After his friends left my brother went and got himself a doughnut. He ignored me and I ignored him as we usually did. It was the only way we could coexist when we weren't arguing or blackmailing each other.

I glanced out the window and then I had to do a double take. Then I rubbed my eyes because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He hadn't changed at all in the last 13 years and I would recognize his face anywhere. I know he saw me to because when we locked eyes he picked up his pace. There was something present in his eyes, the way he looked at me, that I could not understand.

It was Jacob. My Jacob. With him was Leah and Seth. His first and second in command if I remembered correctly. Leah wore that same grumpy look I always remembered seeing. My heart was beating faster than he was walking.

"Come on let's go," Chris grabbed my wheelchair and steered me away from the window. Much to my dismay. But as we were about to make our exit they entered. Without saying a word Jacob grabbed me and held me into a tight warm hug. The only sounds were of him and I crying.

Through my tears I was aware of something else happening. Leah and Chris had seen each other and made eye contact. She had dropped down into a kneeling position. She looked at him like a blind woman seeing the sun for the very first time. As if my crazy foster brother were the most wonderful thing on the planet.


	5. Reunited At Last

Chapter 5: Reunited At Last

Nessie's POV

People were staring but honestly I didn't care. I had my Jacob back and that was all that really mattered. With him it was as if a piece of my heart was finally restored. A piece of my heart that I didn't realize was missing until now. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. I didn't even care that my nose was starting to get runny. None of that mattered right now.

"Let's go Ness," Jacob whispered into my ear.

I was still too choked up to talk so I simply nodded instead. He was about to put me down on my feet when I pointed out my wheelchair. He frowned as he placed me back in it. I looked back at my brother but he didn't seem to noticed. To mesmerized by Leah I think. Seth also stayed behind.

Once we were in relative privacy he grabbed me into a tight hug once again. "I'm so sorry Ness. I'm so sorry," he cried. "I swear I didn't-I didn't realize that you were gone. I never meant to lose you. It was my responsibility to take care of you and I failed. I failed you. I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay Jake," I cried. "It's okay-"

"No it's not okay. I should have realized that you'd fallen off. I should have realized something was wrong. I was supposed to keep you safe and-"

"and I forgave you a long time ago. It was an accident Jake. An unfortunate accident. I knew you didn't mean to lose me. I always knew that,"

He hugged me tighter.

"I'm just happy that you're here Jacob. I never thought that I'd see you again after all this time,"

"I never gave up hope that I would see you again one day. Now here we are. Very clever idea of you to hire a private investigator to find us,"

"You were with my this whole time?" I asked.

"Not exactly," he said. "Once I realized that you were gone I started searching for you. A few months later the Cullens had found me. Without you,"

"and how did my family react?"

He shuddered. "Your parents almost killed me I explained what happened. If it weren't for Carlisle they probably would've torn me apart limb from. Afterwards we went our seperate ways. But I promised them that if I ever found you I'd let them know immediately. They made the same promise to me. So your mother and I kept in contact while we searched for you. I had the rest of the pack search for you as well. So when the private investigator found your family your mother contacted me and I went over there immediately. Now here we are,"

"So they're here? My aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents? They're all here?"

"Yes. Although I could do without the ice cold barbie,"

"Jacob!" I scolded. I always hated how he bickered with aunt Rosalie.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard and some things will never change,"

"So where are they now?" I looked around as if waiting for them to appear. It took me a moment to remember that it was sunny outside today.

"They're waiting for you at a house they rented here. They actually sent me to find you and bring you to them,"

My heart suddenly stopped and skipped several beats. Then it went into a full on sprint. Beating what felt like one hundred million times per minute. I didn't know what emotion was strongest. Nerves? Excitement? Happiness? All of the above? I couldn't say for sure.

"Are you okay Nessie?" The concern in Jacob's voice made me smile.

"Yeah it's just that, well, it all feels so real. I never expected to see you or my family again and now it's happening. Today. Here. Right now," I explained. Truer words had never been spoken.

"Well let's go Ness. If I keep you to myself any longer your parents might decide not to give a crap about the sun anymore,"

I chuckled. "So are we going to walk the whole way?"

"Well technically I was going to carry you and run but that might be a little difficult with your wheelchair. What happened anyway? If you don't mind my asking. As far as I know the private investigator didn't say anything about you being-" he couldn't bring himself to say the word.

"Paralyzed?" I finished for him. "That's a relatively new development. I'm a jockey. Or rather I used to be," I sighed. "That was until an accident a month and a half ago. It left me with a severed spine and now my legs are useless. Just dead limbs attached to my body," I said bitterly.

"Isn't there something they can do?"

"Surgery. But for some stupid reason my foster parents won't allow that to happen. Look can we talk about something else?" I didn't want to get upset. Not here. Not now when I was feeling so happy for the first time in God only knows how long.

"I missed you so much Ness,"

"I missed you to Jacob,"

"Well as much as I wish I could keep you to myself just a little bit longer we're here,"

I felt my breathing increase as I took in the sight of the large house. This was it. Behind those doors were my family. There were a million incoherent thoughts going through my mind as Jacob took a key out of his pocket and opened the door.

There was dead silence inside the house. But I knew better. My family was here. I could feel deep within my bones. I could not calm my fast beating heart. Then when Jacob wheeled me into the living room my heart actually stopped beating.

They were all there. Grandpa Carlisle, grandma Esme, aunt Rosalie, aunt Alice, uncle Emmett, uncle Jasper...my mother and father. They all stared at me. Not moving or saying a word. I suddenly felt a little self conscious. My face and the rest of my body was still covered in nasty bruises. All in different stages of the healing process. Being trampled by a horse running over thirty miles per hour will do that to a person. It would take months to completely heal those injuries. Yeah I must've been quite the sight. Bruised up and bound to a wheelchair.

Literally the only thing stopping me from running over to my parents and throwing my arms around them were my useless legs. My useless caused by a severed spine. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes again.

"Mom?" I choked out.

Mom suddenly stood up and ran toward me. Her vampire speed caught me completely by surprise as she hugged me as tightly. "Baby," she sobbed. "Oh my sweet baby girl. My little nudger,"

I couldn't contain my tears anymore. My emotions began to spill out of me and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I was in my mother's arms again. After 13 years I was in her arms again. Physically my mother and I were now the exact same age. It was an odd concept when I really thought about it. But that didn't matter. She was my mother. The only mother that I've ever had and loved. It had been 13 agonizingly long years since she had hugged me like this and I was not about to let her go any time soon. We were reunited at last.


	6. Bittersweet Reunion

Chapter 6: Bittersweet Reunion

Nessie's POV

"I love you so much mom," I cried.

"I kove you too baby. I love you so much,"

If it were possible fot vampires to cry I was sure my mother would be a mess right now.

I lost track of how much time I was in my mother's arms. It could have been seconds or days and I wouldn't have known the difference. All I knew is that neither my mom or I had any intention of letting each other go any time soon. I never wanted to be seperated from her ever again. Not for as long as I lived. It was as if the rest of the world didn't exist in that moment. Nobody else existed except for my mother and I.

However the rest of the world did exist. I had a father who was just as hellbent on embracing me as my mother was. "Dad," I cried once I was in his arms again. I missed him just as much as I had missed my mother. It was such a surreal feeling. Being here in the same room with both of my parents once again. I wanted to stay with them forever. I loved them and never wanted to be away from them ever again.

"I know sweetie," dad whispered in my ear. "We all feel the same way," It took me a minute to understand what he was talking about. I had almost forgotten about my dad's ability to read my mind.

"I love you dad,"

He hugged me tighter. "I love you to," he too sounded like he would be in tears right now if it were possible.

Once I was able to release my father and him me I was attacked by tbe rest of my loving family. First by my grandparents. Carlisle and Esme were the best grandparents a girl could ever ask for. They had never in their wildest dreams thought it would be possible for them to have grandchildren. I remembered my grandfather once telling me that my birth had changed everyone's lives for the better.

"You certainly have grown a lot Nessie," I smiled as I remembered all the times that he would measure. Multiple times a day, every day, up until the day I had to leave them.

I didn't last very long with my grandfather as my grandmother practically ripped me away from him. Oh how I had missed grandma Esme. She was the most loving grandmother I had ever known. Of course she was the only grandmother I had ever known but that was not the point.

Then of course their was my aunts and uncles. Oh how I had missed them all. I was flooded with memories of my aunts playing dress up with me and taking me on countless shopping trips. Oh there were so many shopping trips since I outgrew my clothes almost everyday.

Uncle Emmett almost squished me to death when it was his turn to hug me. I bit my tongue to avoid crying out in pain. My fractured ribs were still in the healing process. "Can't breathe," I wheezed out.

"Sorry kid," he said as he released me. "I guess I got a little excited,"

Uncle Jasper showed more emotion that I ever remembered him showing before. As for me? I was just happy. I was in heaven being here with my family once again. I couldn't believe that 13 years had passed since I last saw them. Looking at my family you never would have guessed that time had passed. After all they hadn't aged a single day. Not even Jacob. I was the only who had changed and grown. I still had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that I was physically the same age as my parents, aunts, and uncles. It was a very bittersweet reunion. I had grown up without my family. I wondered what my family was thinking seeing me as a teenager after all these years.

I went back to my mother and hugged her again. It didn't matter if we were physically the same age or not she was my mother. I loved her and I needed her. For awhile it seemed like nobody knew quite what to say. I knew that I would have to tell them my life's story. I'm sure they were curious to know what had happened to me after Jacob lost me. I didn't know where to start.

"Nessie," mom was the first to speak. "What happened after-" she couldn't bring herself to continue.

"After I got separated from Jacob,"

"That's a very interesting way of saying how Jacob lost you," dad growled.

"Hey it was an accident! Do really think that I meant to lose her?!"

Dad jumped up "You were supposed to take care of her! You stupid mu-"

"Enough both of you!" grandma Esme shouted. Damn I wasn't talking but somehow I managed to shut the hell up even more.

"All of this fighting is useless. We can't change the past. What matters now that we have finally found Nessie,"

"Or rather she found us," Carlisle added. "Never in a million years would I have thought a private investigator hired by own granddaughter would show up at the hospital like that,"

"Nessie why don't you show me your story?" mom asked. "I want to see what happened from your perspective,"

"Okay," I placed my hand on her cheek and recounted my whole story. Everything from the moment I fell off of Jacob's back to the horse racing accident.

Mom frowned. "Honey why aren't you showing me anything?"

"I did," I answered. "Or at least I tried to,"

"She was Bella," dad said. "She was trying to show you it just didn't work,"

"Why?"

I sighed. Deep down I knew that it wouldn't work. I hadn't used my gift in years. I'd lost all of my other vampire traits years ago. So it would make sense that I would lose my gift as well.

"Well the more time I spent around humans the more human I became. My growth rate slowed down. My senses dulled. Everything about me became human," I explained. "So it would make sense for me to lose my gift as well,"

"That's very interesting," Carlisle said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Your species never ceases to amaze me,"

"I think that I could safely say I'm all human now,"

"But your not Nessie," mom said. "Your scent is exactly the same. You still smell half vampire," now I was completely confused. "Not that it matters right now. I want to hear your story,"

I gulped nervously as everyone looked at me. I was surprised why no one asked me how I ended up in a wheelchair or why the hell my body was covered in bruises. I supposed that question would come much later.

"When I got separated from Jake I was found by other humans. They placed me in foster care because they couldn't find my parents. It didn't help that everyone thought my name was Vanessa Wolfe because of that passport you gave me mom. I didn't correct them in order to keep the secret. I stayed in one foster home for a few years before they decided to move me to my current foster home. Which is where I have been for the last seven years-"

"Wait you have been in foster care all this time? No one has ever adopted you? Why?" mom asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "As I got older I knew my chances of getting adopted were only getting slimmer. I made my peace with the idea of never getting adopted. Anyways it's not like I'll be the first kid to ever age out of the system. Anyway when I was younger I guess you can say I felm in love with horses. Then I discovered horseracing and that was it. I became obsessed with the idea of becoming a jockey. When I was moved to my current foster home I knew it was fate because they trained racehorses for a living. So I got into the industry and got my jockey license. Everything was going well for me. I one most of my races right up until-" I couldn't bear to even remember the incident in which Red Wolf went crazy and threw me off.

"Until she had an accident several weeks ago. That's why she's in a wheelchair and that's why she has all those bruises right now," dad explained. "Nessie why would you even do something so dangerous in the first place!" dad scolded.

"Dad I would like to point out that my 'dangerous' career is what gave me enough money to afford to hire the private investigator that found you. If it weren't for my dangerous career we wouldn't be together right now," I countered with a smile. He didn't say anything. Like it or not he knew that I was right.

"What happened?" mom asked sadly.

"I was thrown off the horse and then trampled by another horse. When I woke up I couldn't move my legs. Severed spine," I said bitterly. I chose not to go into the details about how the doctors couldn't do surgery because my stupid foster parents would not allow it.

I sighed. I didn't want to cry. Not here. Not now. When I looked up and saw my grandfather looking at me an idea hit me like a bulldozer. Grandpa Carlisle was a surgeon. I wondered if he could do the surgery? He's been practicing medicine for how many hundreds of years now? I wondered if he's seen an injury like mine before. I wondered if he would be willing to operate on me. I shook my head dispelling such thoughts. As long as I was under my foster parents care he probably couldn't do anything either. I didn't even know how to ask him to do something like that for me.

Nobody said anything for awhile. I guess what could you say to information like that? I didn't move a muscle until I felt Jacob's warm arm around my body. His touch made my heart skip a few beats. Not even Liam made me feel the way Jacob did. Liam sure as hell did make me feel all kinds of different things during all the sex we used to have. Even when doing it five to six times a week it never got less pleasureable. Yet with Jacob I felt something completely different. I wondered what it would be like to sleep with Jacob-

Dad's loud vicious growling pulled me out of my fantasies. His black eyes made him look really scary right now.

"You know dad maybe you shouldn't read my mind 24/7,"


	7. Last Day of Normalcy

Chapter 7: Last Day of Normalcy

Nessie's POV

He eyed me with as much intensity as I eyed him. He kept hitting the ground with his right hoof. Kicking up a lot of dirt in the process. Oh how I wanted nothing more then to be on his back again. I missed Red Wolf as much as I missed the sport of racing.

His future, however, remained uncertain. Just like mine. After he threw me off he had been immediately taken to a veterinarian for examination. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. No broken bones. Not even a thrown shoe. He had only sustained a few bruises from the incident. That was that.

Everybody just thought that he'd suddenly turned agresssive for no reason. So nobody wanted to ride him. Usually when horses were no longer able to race they were retired and sent to the breeding shed. However due to his 'agressive' behavior that was no longer a viable option either. Nobody wanted to that risk that he passed on his 'agressive' behavior to his offspring.

It hurt that people thought of him as agressive. I knew that wasn't the problem. Wolf was not an aggressive horse. Something else happened on the race track that day. I was going to find out what had happened and I would clear his name. Somehow.

"Vanessa get back from there!"

I spun my wheelchair around and saw Ethan, my second best friend, running toward me frantically. Ethan was the son of Red Wolf's rightful owners. We'd been friends since we were eleven years old.

He yanked my chair backwards despite the fact that Wolf posed no threat to me. "Jesus Christ you know how dangerous that horse is,"

"Dangerous? He is not dangerous Ethan,"

"That horse is the reason you are in this wheelchair,"

"No he is not," My mind wandered back to the red eyed girl I'd seen in the stands that day. I didn't know how exactly but something in my gut told me that she was the true reason I was in this chair. I just didn't know how to prove it.

Ethan took a deep breath. "Look I didn't come here to fight. I was just-I just worry about you that's all,"

"Thanks but I wish you'd worry a little less,"

"I don't think that's possible," he replied. "But enough of this already. Do you want to go have some lunch then maybe catch a movie afterwards?"

"Sure," I couldn't stay mad at him. I never could stay mad at him. Yes he often got on my nerves and sometimes infuriated the hell out of me sometimes but then I'd forgive him five minutes later.

I could feel the sun's rays beating down on my skin as he helped me get into his car. The weatherman had forecasted that today would be bright and sunny. It would be the last bright and sunny for the nexy several weeks. Alice actually predicted that Kentucky would not see a sufficient sunlight for the next four months. Meaning that starting tomorrow my family would be free to roam around the city. My parents, aunts and uncles were already in the process of enrolling in school. My school of all places. Today would be my last day of normalcy before my family really started to turn my life upside down.

I shuddered as I thought about all the implications that my family's presence could bring. I hadn't told them about Aro's visit during our reunion yesterday. I'd also managed to avoid thinking about it to avoid my father's suspicion. I still wasn't sure how I imagined to pull it off. I knew that I had to tell them soon though.

"Are you okay Vanessa? You seem a little off today,"

"I'm fine I just have a lot of things on my mind that's all,"

"Such as?"

I thought about how I should answer for a full minute before finally saying "Family issues but I really don't want to talk about it,"

"is your brother giving you a hard time again?"

"No that's not it. Look I really don't want to discuss it right now. Can we talk about something else please?"

"Okay. What do you want to eat?"

"Cheeseburgers," I answered.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" he laughed.

I was surprised to see Seth and Jacob at another table as soon as we arrived. Jacob noticed me right away. His face remained expressionless as Ethan and I walked passed them and sat down at a table across from them.

"That guy over there is staring at you,"

Crap I had hoped Ethan wouldn't notice Jacob.

"Really? That's nice," I tried to play it off as much as I could.

"Do you know him?"

"No," I was surprised by how easily I was able to lie.

"Well I think he likes you,"

I almost choked on my soda. The idea of Jacob liking me was so absurd that it was funny. Jacob has been a teenager longer than I'd been alive. He would never look at me that way.

"Not possible,"

"Are you blind Vanessa? It's totally obvious that he's into you. You know just because one asshole took you for granted and dumped you doesn't mean there aren't other guys who are genuinely interested,"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

He blushed and started to fidget nervously. "Look I don't know how to say this but I like you. For a long time I've wanted to be more than friends but I didn't say anything because you were with Liam. But now that you're not I was kind of hoping that maybe we can be together. So will you be my girlfriend?"

Whoa I was totally not expecting that. Yet the idea made me happy so I answered "Yes I will be your girlfriend,"

"Really?"

"Really," I answered.

"Awesome! I was hoping you'd say yes so I got you something,"

He pulled out a small black box. Inside of it was a ring. A real diamond ring. I was shocked.

"What is this?"

"It's a promise ring,"

"How-I mean what?"

"It's a 12 carat diamond ring. A promise ring. If we ever get engaged I will get you something bigger-"

"I'm sorry but I can't accept such an extravagant gift,"

"You can and you will," he said as he placed the ring on my finger.

At a table nearby I heard the sound of glass smashing into a million pieces. I jumped at the sound. I looked around and saw Jacob with shards of broken glass in his hands. His body was shaking uncontrollably. A sign, if I remembered correctly, meant that he was about to phase. He was beyond angry though I had no clue what had upset him so much. He ran out with Seth quickly chasing after him.

"Well that was strange,"

"Yeah it was," I agreed. "Let's just get out of here and go see a movie,"

I couldn't stop thinking about Jacob for the rest of the day. I tried to push him as far away from my mind as possible but I couldn't. I didn't like seeing Jacob that angry. It bothered me more than it should have perhaps. I guess it was because he was my Jacob and I didn't like seeing my Jacob upset.

Ethan took me home later that evening. There was nobody else home. Or so I had thought anyway. As soon as I opened the door to my room I caught Chris rummaging through my stuff.

"What are you doing in here?!" I yelled.

He looked at me like a deer caught in headlights.

"I need money. I know you have cash. I saw it,"

"So now you're going to steal from me?! Blackmailing isn't enough anymore?!"

"Look you don't understand. These guys I'm dealing with are asking for more money and if I don't give it to them-"

"I don't have money! Oh and I'm done funding your drug addiction! Get the hell out of my room already!"

Surprisingly he left without saying a word. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do with him anymore. I looked at the shiny diamond ring Ethan had given me and decided to lock it up. I was sure it wouldn't be safe around my brother.

I was exasperated. Of course my brother had seen my cash. Only I had already spent that cash on the private investigator. I'd given him half of the money upfront. I still owe him the other half.

"Are you okay?"

I nearly had a heart attack when I heard my father's voice.

"Dad!"

He held me as tightly as he could do so safely.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to come see you again. I couldn't wait until tomorrow. So I-" dad suddenly tensed up.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone has been in here. He's still here,"

Dad put me down before leaving to investigate. My heart started beating really fast? Was it the Volturi? Was it Aro here to fulfill his promise and kill me. I heard a commotion in the hallway. Then my dad returned a minute later.

"What's wrong dad?"

"It's your brother,"

That was the absolute last thing I was expecting him to say.

"It was him that I smelled in here. He's like you Nessie. A hybrid whose human side has become more dominant,"


	8. What?

Chapter 8: What?

Nessie's POV

"He's a what?" whatever I had been expecting my father to say it sure as hell was not that.

"He's just like you. I saw him in the hallway and read his mind," dad explained.

"Did he see you?" I questioned.

"Yes he did," he said. "He recognized me for what I was right away,"

"What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything. But I got his story from his head,"

"What story?"

"His mother died giving birth to him. Then his father abandoned him in the woods and left him to die. His father hated him for killing his mother. So he abandoned him hoping that he would die. Instead he was found by humans and has been in foster care ever since,"

Damn I could not even imagine what that must have been like. To be hated by your own father. To have never known the love of your family. Or to have never known love at all. Maybe that's why he is so screwed up.

"Dad,"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I told you. I came to see you again. Nobody knows I'm here. Except for Alice anyway. It's impossible for me to keep secrets from her,"

"Why don't mom know?"

"Maybe I'm being selfish," he said. "But I wanted you all to myself. At least for a little while,"

"Oh,"

"Nessie I heard what you were thinking about yesterday,"

I stiffened.

"About you wanting your grandfather to do the surgery," he clarified.

"Oh," I said again.

"I spoke to him about it earlier and he said that he would be more than happy to perform the surgery. There's just one problem,"

"He can't do anything while I'm in foster care. Can he?"

"Yes that's the problem. Not unless he and Esme adopted you,"

"Really? But the process could take a really lonhlg time. I might just age out of the system before them," I remarked sadly.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen there are other ways to adopt much faster,"

"There are?" I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

"There are back channels that will get this done much faster. Your grandfather knows exactly which strings to pull to get this done much faster,"

For the first time in weeks I felt hope. Hope that I would not only get my legs back but my family back as well. I smiled. I couldn't ask for anything more. I was going to have my family back.

"You better get some sleep," Dad said. "You still have school tomorrow. Your mother and I are very much looking forward to going to school with you,"

"Right. School," Oh God I'd be going to school with my family. The thought alone felt very weird. How many teenagers can say that they've gone to school with their parents, aunts, and uncles?

Dad laughed. "Just go to sleep already Nessie and try not to overthink this,"

When my alarm clock blared the following morning I realized that I was alone. My dad must have left sometime after I had fallen asleep. I got ready as fast as I could. I was in such a hurry that my breakfast only consisted of two pop tarts and milk.

I had made it to school just in time. Apparently the news of my family's arrival had already spread. We didn't get new students here very often. So when we did it was newsworthy. I tried to tune out the whispers of my 'hot' family members.

"Hey Vanessa!" I looked up from my locker when I heard my best friend Jasmine calling me. I felt a pang of guilt every time I saw her. Knowing that my brother was cheating on her with very own sister killed me on the inside. I wanted to say something but I couldn't.

"What's wrong?" I asked her when I noticed the wild eyed look on her face.

"I need to speak to you urgently. You're the only one that I can trust,"

Suddenly the bell rang.

"Can we talk later? I don't want to be late for class,"

"Sure," she said. I could hear the worry in her voice which worried me.

It was a rather uneventful morning until my second period math class. As it turned out my mother and father shared this class with me. I sighed when we were given our assignment for the day. I hated Algebra. I hated the very concept of math. It was beyond frustrating. Ever since I could remember I struggled with math. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the numbers weren't always getting mixed up in my head. For example a 32 would turn into a 23 in my head and I'd write that down instead. I never finished my work on time and I would have to finish it at home on top of the other math homework I'd been assigned. Often times I'd just pay Lewis to do it for me.

During the last 15 minutes of class. We received the results from our last math test. I smiled in deep satisfaction when I saw 94%. A solid A. Every test costed me fifty dollars but it was money well spent. Lewis was a genius at math and getting copies of test answer keys in advance. I think I was one of his top customers. Memorizing the answer key was way easier than trying to figure out math. I'd just deliberately get a few wrong so no one would suspect anything.

When I looked up and saw my father's face the smile instantly vanished from my face. He looked absolutely one hundred percent beyond pissed. Oh fuck he was reading my mind again. My days of keeping secrets and successfully getting away with things were officially over. I saw him whisper something to my mother and she too then looked at me furious.

I sank backwards in my seat. Holy shit I was in deep trouble. Stupid mind reading vampire father! Well dad if it's any consolation this is the only subject I cheat in. All of my other grades are well earned.

I dared to glance at my father and instantly regretted it. Yup he's still pissed. Why oh why couldn't I have just inherited my mother's shield?!

Right then and there I decided that it was probably best to stay out of my father's and maybe even my mother's way for now. I knew that they'd confront me about my cheating but hopefully when they were less mad.

I was relieved to find out that my parents weren't in my next class. Science.I didn't think I'd be able to take my father's angry stares much longer. The only relative I had in this class with was aunt Alice.

"You're in a lot of trouble Nessie," she said as she sat down next to me.

"How bad is it going to be?" Fear gripped my heart at my future seeing aunt's words.

"I don't know. Your parents keep changing their minds about how they are going to confront you about this. But none of the scenarios are good,"

"Oh boy," I slumped back in my chair.

When lunch time came around I was still doing everything I could to avoid my family. Especially my parents. As soon as I entered the cafeteria I spotted them sitting at a table all by themselves. Jacob was with them as well as Seth and Leah.

I looked around for somewhere else to sit. Jasmine was by herself looking as worried as she had that morning. That was the perfect excuse I needed to avoid my family again.

"What's wrong?" I asked her as I approached.

"Oh Vanessa-I don't-God I'm so stupid!" she cried.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant,"

"What?"

"I said I'm pregnant. God I'm freaking out here and I have no idea what to do,"

"I thought you were on the pill?"

"I was but I accidentally forgot to take it a few days and now and now-" she was not able to finish her sentence.

"Does he know?"

"No I haven't told him," she snivelled. "I just found out yesterday. I started getting sick since last week. It wasn't until I saw Erica's positive pregnancy test that I realized that I could be pregnant-"

"Wait your sister is pregnant to?"

"Yes but she won't tell me who the father is,"

I was seeing red. My brother. My drug addicted, cheating, blackmailing, half human brother was the biggesst fucking idiot in the world. How the hell could he do something like this?! Didn't he at least believe in condoms?!

Oh shit my half human half vampire brother has two babies on the way.


	9. Next Move

Chapter 9: Next Move

Nessie's POV

After school I went back to the stable to visit Wolf again. It was the only place where I truly felt at ease lately. Eric wasn't home and neither were his parents. It didn't matter though. Eric. My new boyfriend. It still felt like such a foreign concept. After being with Liam for so long it was hard to believe that I was with someone else.

I watched as Wolf kicked up dirt in his stall. I could sense the fire within him. He was restlese. He was a racehorse through. He needed to work to keep his mind stimulated. He missed racing as much as I did. We were kindred spirits. Him and I.

"I know boy," I said. "I know how you feel,"

I sighed before leaving. I had a long evening ahead and it was best I got started. I had been assigned an essay for English class and a science project for Biology. I had a few weeks but I wanted to get started. So I was going to spend my evening at the library. I'd be lying though if I said that was the only reason I didn't want to go home. I wasn't ready to face my family after seeing how disappointed/angry they were when they found out about my cheating.

Knowing my dad, and maybe even my mother, they'd come through my window just to confront me. Stupid mind reading ability. I made it down all the way to the bus station by myself. With some assistance from the driver I was able to board the bus. When she dropped me off in front of the library I thanked for her help.

I spent the next several hours at a computer looking for credible resources. I lost track of the time as I read article after article. It was not until my stomach started growling that I realized it was already six o clock on the dot. I printed out the articles and left the library. There was a pizza place just across the street. I'd go eat there and then return to the library for a few more hours of intensive study.

There was a group of rowdy kids already eating there. Seven teenage boys and one really uncomfortable looking teenage girl. One of the guys whistled at me as I passed by. I ignored him though. I ordered my pizza and went to sit on the other side of tbe restaurant. As soon as I finished my food I decided to head back to the library for a few more hours.

I once again immersed myself in my work. One good thing about having so much work to do is that it was a good distraction. I had yet to tell my family about the Volturi's presence. Or Aro's threat to me in the hospital. I knew that I would not be able to keep it a secret much longer. Especially when I had a mind reading vampire for a father.

It was impossible to keep secrets for a long time. Between my mind reading father and future seeing aunt it was one hundred percent impossible. How I managed to do it this long already was a mystery to me.

I took a deep breath. My nerves were already starting to get worked up just thinking about everything that's happened. My brother and his stupid actions didn't help either. If I didn't worry so much about him it would a lot of stress off of me. Why couldn't my life just be easy? Was that too much to ask?

I sighed as I shut the computer off. I decided to go look for a few books for my biology project. Then I would call it a night and start heading back home. I picked out four different books that I thought might help and I checked them out.

The cold wind outside caused me to shiver. Maybe I would stop at Starbucks on the way home. I was on my way to the bus stop when I heard someone crying. Instead of going right toward the bus stop I went left where the sound of the crying was coming from. I could tell that it was a girl around my age.

"Excuse me are you okay?"

I gasped when the girl looked up and saw the black eye she had. She also had a bruise along her jawline. There were some questionable looking marks on her arms as well. A minute later I recognized her. It was the same girl that I saw earlier at the pizza place. The one who was hanging out with those seven other teenage boys.

"Who are you? I can get you to a doctor if you'd like?" I immediately thought of my grandfather.

"No," she said. "Too dangerous. He will kill me if I go to a doctor,"

"Who's he?"

"My boyfriend," she cried.

"What about your parents? Can't they help you?"

She shook her head. "They died. I don't have any other family so Iive with my boyfriend,"

"Was it your boyfriend that did this to you?"

"He said I deserved it for disobeying him,"

I felt my anger slowly rising. I had to force myself to stay calm. "My name is Renesmee. Although my friends call me Nessie. What's your name?"

"Sophie," she sobbed. "Look Nessie you better get out of here before they-"

"They're you are!" A loud voice hollered. "Oh and look at what we have here. Some fresh meat,"

My anger was suddenly replaces by intense fear when I saw the seven teenage boys from the pizza place. We were outnumbered and I was in a wheelchair.

"Good job Sophie you are useful for something else after all. Look guys. It's the beautiful girl we saw earlier,"

"It's hard to tell how beautiful she is with all of those clothes on,"

The guys laughed. I tried to back up when one of them started walking toward us. My wheel got stuck in a crack so I was unable to move.

The guy picked me up and slammed me against the wall. The smile he gave me sent chills down my spine. "Andrew," he said. "I need your help,"

Another boy approached and started removing my clothes. I screamed at the realization of what was about to happen. All of the other guys surrounded us. All talking about and eagerly anticipating "their turn,"

I couldn't even fight them off as they started groping me and fondling my breasts. I wanted to kick them but my paralysis wouldn't allow it. I could not do anything as they prepared to rape me. I saw Sophie looking on helplessly. It then occured to me that they had done this to her before as well. Probably several times.

I screamed again and was immediately backhanded by one of the guys.

"Shut up you stupid bitch!"

"Let her go!"

The relief washed over me when I saw my mother's face. Her eyes pitch black in anger. Aunts Alice and Rosalie with her. From the bags in their hands I could tell that they were on a shopping spree. Aunt Alice must've had a vision of what was about to happen here.

"I said let her go!"

The man immediately dropped me. The guys were too stunned to react. Mom immediately ran over to me.

"Well what do you know. More beautiful girls. You're all more than welcome to join our fun,"

Mom was about to do something when aunt Rosalie stopped her. "You and Alice get Nessie and that other girl out of here. Let me take care of them. I'm quite good at dealing with abusive rapists,"


	10. Family

Chapter 10: Family

Nessie's POV

Mom helped me get dressed quickly. Maybe a little too quickly for someone who was trying to appear human. Mom rushed me away from the area as soon as she could. "Baby are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No they didn't mom. Well they didn't rape at least. They were going to though They just-" I shuddered as the memory of their groping and fondling entered my mind. Physically I had been unable to feel them grabbing my vagina and other private parts down there but seeing them do it sickened me. And I could feel them touching my breasts. So-

"They just what Nessie?" mom's angered voice interrupted me.

"They just touched me," I said. "You all got there in time before they could rape me,"

Before mom could say anything we saw Alice coming toward us with Sophie. Seeing those nasty bruises and black eye on her face pained me. Nobody deserved to be treated like that.

"Who are you all? What's going on?" Sophie sounded very confused and scared.

"It's okay they're my friends. This is my mo-ouch!' I said a little too loudly when mom nudged me hard in the ribs. "I mean Bella. This is Bella. The short pixie like girl here is Alice,"

"We're going to help you," Alice said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sophie. What do you mean help me?"

"Is there somewhere we can take you? Do you have family?"

"No. My parents died. I live with my boyfriend,"

"Well okay that settles it then. You're coming with us," mom said.

"What? No. I can't. He will kill me if I tell anyone. He'll-oh God!" she cried.

"Hey it's okay," Alice did her best to sound reassuring. "He won't do anything to you. I promise. We are going to take you home witb us. Our father is a doctor and he'll be happy to help you. Our mother will be more than happy to have you as well,"

"I don't want to burden anyone,"

"You won't be a burden I promise,"

"Well-"

"Come on let's just get out of here," mom said.

We had to go down several blocks before we arrived at the mall parking lot. As if the bags had not been evident enough this definitely confirmed my earlier suspension. They had been on a shopping spree when I was about to get attacked.

"Wow. So far away from where we were," Sophie said. "I guess we were lucky you were walking by,"

"Let's just I had a very strong intuition about where we needed to be," Alice winked at me. Which confirmed my second suspicion. Thank God for my aunt and her visions of the future. I could only imagine what must have happened when she had gotten a vision about me getting raped. It must've been so hard for my mom and my aunts to get out of here at a human speed.

I was just happy that vision didn't come to pass. Poor Sophie though. I didn't need to ask if she'd ever experienced that before. I already knew the answer. I wanted to help the poor girl. Only I didn't know how. I just hoped my family would know how.

I listened in as my mom called my grandfather to give him a heads up on the situation. I breathed a sigh of relief when the house came into view. Sophie didn't say a word but I could see that she was scared. "You're okay,"

She still looked very unsure but she followed us nonetheless. "Don't worry she'll be fine," Alice whispered into my ear.

"Are you sure?" I couldn't help but ask.

"The moment you made the decision to go to her you changed her future for the better. She will be part of the family. She will be happy. It might take some time but it's a very good thing that you two met,"

Part of the family? Did that mean she would become a vampire one day? I decided not to ask. At least she would have a family to take care of her. No matter what happened. Sophie hid behind me. I didn't need uncle Jasper's gift to know she was feeling overwhelmed and scared. It was the sight of uncle Emmett that seemed to be intimidating her the most. Probably because of his size. If she only that he was just a giant, lovable teddy bear.

"Nessie I heard what happened. Did they hurt you at all?" grandpa asked.

"They slammed me against the wall but that was it. Mo-err Bella, Alice, and Rosalie found us in time before they could do more damage," I mentally kicked m

"Girls why don't you come to my office,"yself for almost slipping up again.

Sophie didn't move. She was definitely scared. Her experience with men had probably traumatized the girl. It was probably going to take some time for her to fully trust again.

"It's okay Sophie. Carlisle is harmless. All of the guys in this family are harmless. They won't hurt you,"

"Are you sure?" she asked me specifically.

"I'm sure," I answered.

As soon as we were in my grandfather's office he turned to us and started talking.

"Sophie we just want to help you," Carlisle said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "No woman should ever go throw the kind of trauma that I'm sure you must have experienced. I only want to help you. Where do you live?"

"With my boyfriend. I don't have family. My parents died,"

"Is he the one that did this to you?"

She nodded. "He said I deserved it for disobeying him. I can never do anything right so he always hits me as punishment. So do all of his friends. He tells them it's okay to hit me and have sex with me even if I don't want to and they did. Many many times," she started crying.

"You mean his friends told them it was okay to rape you," my grandfather stated.

She couldn't talk so she just nodded her head.

"It's okay," I hugged her. I barely even knew her and I already cared so much about her. Even though Alice told me she'd be happy in the future it hurt me to see her like this. I didn't even know it was possible to care about a strang6so much.

"Have you told anyone?" Carlisle asked. "The police? Or perhaps a teacher at school?"

"No," she cried. "I don't even go to school anymore. One day Damien decided that he didn't want me to go to school anymore. I had this crazy dream of going to college and becoming a veterinarian because I love animals. Damien said as a woman it is your duty to serve me and obey me at all times. As a woman you belong in the kitchen and nowhere else. So you better quit school now and do whatever I ask you to. If you don't dropout tomorrow I will kill you. So that's what I did. He's probably right-:

"No he's not!" I shouted, startling her. I immediately lowered my voice. "Don't believe any of that shit. Your'e not stupid. You can go to school. You can follow your dream of going to college and becoming a veterinarian. You can do whatever you want. Don't believe any of that crap he or is friends have told you because it's not true,"

"Nessie is right," my grandfather added. "Real men don't treat women the way you have been treated. How old are you and how long has it been since you've been in school?"

"I'm sixteen. I dropped out five months ago. Technically I didn't dropout I just stopped attending high school,"

"This might seem crazy," Carlisle said. "But I really want to help you. Why don't you come live with my family and I? We can get you the help you need. We'll take care of you. We can get you back in school. I just need to talk things over with my wife and other children first but if they're okay with it would you like to live with us?"

"I don't know. Damien is dangerous. He'll kill me. He'll kill all of you if he finds out,"

"Don't worry about him. He can't harm us or you anymore,"

She was still hesitant. But eventually she said "Yes,"

"Nessie do you mind stepping out for just a few minutes? I'm going to examine Sophie first,"

"Sure gra-Carlisle,"

Okay. Pretending the Cullens were just my friends rather than my own family is going to be harder than I thought.

I went back to the living room where my family was waiting. My dad immediately ran ro me and scooped me up into his arms. "Oh Nessie thank God you're okay," dad's relief was mixed with anger. "I swear I would've killed them on the spot right then and there for even thinking about touching you,"

"Dad where's Jacob?" I really needed my favorite wolf right now. I needed my Jacob. I longed and ached for his comfort after the night that I have had.

"He, Seth, and Leah went out to get something to eat. Don't worry I'll call Jacob for you and let him know what happened,"

"No don't ruin his night out just because of me,"

"Believe me Nessie he will be more angry if I keep this from him,"

I was about to ask what he meant by that when the front door suddenly opened. Aunt Rosalie came in looking extremely happy and quite pleased with herself.

She killed them didn't she dad?

"More like she slowly tortured them to death and enjoyed every single second of it,"


End file.
